The clouds of war gathered again over the region, after the mutual threats between Washington and Tehran jumped to a new level. US President Donald Trump threatened to resume military operations without hesitation, considering the Iranian rulers’ survival in power after his term a “defeat,” while Tehran promised a response “without any geographic restrictions” to any attack.
Trump said he might resume the strikes “now,” noting that his country can destroy Iranian energy facilities, bridges, and factories within three days. He warned the Iranians against assassinating a senior American official, saying that they “will not be around for long,” after he wrote on Thursday: “We do not need an agreement with Iran.”
Yesterday, the leaders of the Revolutionary Guard appeared in a funeral ceremony for which the authorities mobilized. Commander-in-Chief Ahmed Wahidi vowed “horrific and painful strikes,” and his deputy, Mustafa Ezdi, said that the attacks “will not be limited to Israel, and will include beyond the region.”
Meanwhile, Mossad head Roman Goffman arrived in Washington, amid pressure exerted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume the war, a day after Trump removed his deputy, J.D. Vance, from the negotiations with Iran.
A prominent rabbi from the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement issued a religious fatwa (halakhah) permitting the use of lethal force against leaders of Jewish parties who cooperate with Arab parties, according to what the Haaretz newspaper reported, recalling the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 31 years ago, while a group of former security and military leaders called for him to be investigated on charges of incitement to murder.
Rabbi Gedaliah Axelrod, who previously served as President of the Rabbinical Court in Haifa, issued a letter in which he said that the leaders of the Jewish parties who support the formation of a government that has the support of Arab parties fall under the heading of “Din Rodef.” That is, a person who poses a threat to the lives of others, and it is permissible to stop him by “any means.”
The “Arabs” won 19 out of a total of 120 seats in the Knesset. Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot said yesterday: “Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story.”
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot called for respect for the Arab minority, after caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other right-wing figures attacked Arab representatives in the Knesset by linking them to the Palestinian Hamas movement.
The two Arab lists, the unified and the joint, won 19 out of a total of 120 seats in the Knesset during last month’s elections, and are likely to play a decisive role in Eisenkot’s efforts to form a government.
Eisenkot said on the “X” platform: “The Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story.”
He added, "The attempt to marginalize them and distort their reputation collectively is a blatant violation of the principles of civil responsibility, and is incompatible with Israel's Declaration of Independence and the values that we cherish as a Jewish and democratic state."
Netanyahu and his allies repeatedly criticized Arab party leaders for refusing to describe the Hamas movement as a “terrorist,” following its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
All Arab party leaders condemned the attack. Arabs constitute about 20 percent of Israel's population.
Netanyahu also accused Arab parties of committing electoral irregularities and fraud, but the Elections Commission cleared them of the accusations.
In a speech he delivered during the opening of the new Knesset this week, Netanyahu expressed his regret at the refusal of the two Arab lists to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, even though the leader of the United Arab List, Mansour Abbas, had done so in the past.
The caretaker prime minister also accused the Arab parties of seeking to establish an “Islamic state” or a “national Palestinian state.”
During the same ceremony, the far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, interrupted Joint List leader Youssef Jabareen while he was being sworn in, accusing him of “loyalty to the (Hamas) movement.”
Gadi Eisenkot said: “It is completely legitimate to disagree with representatives of Arab parties, and even to express strong opposition to some of them, but it is neither legitimate nor acceptable to offend an entire society, and I will not allow that.”
On Sunday, President Isaac Herzog assigned Eisenkot to form a new government, following consultations in which the majority of political formations, including the two Arab lists, recommended that he undertake this task.
But Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the “Israel Our Home” party and one of Eisenkot’s allies from the right, stated that he would withdraw from the coalition if Israeli Arabs were part of it.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within 28 days, he can request an extension for 14 days, and if he does not succeed during the extension as well, the task will move to another representative, most likely to be Netanyahu.
